With equal quantities of truth and empathy, the book Heartland reveals the stories of the rural working class. But Sarah Smarsh isn’t fighting for her tribe, she’s building bridges across America’s wcultural and politics divides. Sarah Smarsh is a unique and prophetic voice in American journalism. Smarsh tells the convincing and […]
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Annual church homecomings help us fulfill our need to belong and to be rooted. Church leaders are busy preparing for Homecoming, which is nearly upon us. Homecoming is the largest Sunday of the year, when scores of visitors and returning family will gather at the New Dublin Presbyterian Church in Pulaski County, […]
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The real difference is the resilience that comes from generations of families committed to one place. “What is the most significant difference between urban and rural churches?” That was the question I was asked at a church conference. It was a good question, and I knew what my answer […]
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A Virginia pastor finds the connection between the values of Appalachian Trail hikers he meets in town and those of his congregation: listening, story-telling, a quieting of technological distractions. Most days I cross the Appalachian Trail at Bearwallow Gap, in Virginia, coming down from the Blue Ridge Parkway as I […]
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When the conversation gets heated and political tempers flare, it’s time for a new approach: neighborliness. People who live in small communities have a head start, not because they are inherently friendlier than urban people, but because the smaller scale promotes more human interaction. EDITOR’S NOTE: Churches matter in rural […]
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